My Broken Heart
by SweetEmotion89
Summary: When Jordan leaves Cox, he is crushed. What will happen when JD's sexy cousin Lacey comes onto the scene?
1. Bar Hopping, Bed Hopping

**LACEY:**

I spotted the curly hair across the bar and I sexed him over with my eyes. _Damn he's fine…like fuck-worthy fine. _I thought of going over to him, flirting, but decided against it. He looked pissed and was glaring at the bar's big screen. _The RedWings? Why the RedWings? Does he like sucking? _A hot racy image flashed through my mind. Okay, so 'sucking' wasn't a good choice of words after downing 2 martinis. I crossed my legs twice out of nervousness, then chided myself. _What the hell am I nervous about? We´re not even speaking, let alone flirting!_ I watched the curly-haired sex god down his beer when the RedWings fell to the Penguins: 3-1. He slammed the heavy glass onto the bar, sloshing what was left of the beer on the counter, and threw on his long, brown coat. I stood quickly, putting on my own coat, mimicking his movements. I followed him out into the brisk January air, feeling very much like a drunk, horny creeper. JD had asked me to follow him, make sure he caught a cab home, so that's what I was doing…at least, that's what I was telling my unruly libido.

I walked slowly to my car and watched as Cox grabbed the nearest cab, slid into it, and drove away. I sighed. _Well, I'll prolly never see JD's friend again…so it doesn't even matter. _With that thought, I threw my car into reverse and drove towards Elliot's.

**PERRY:**

She was watching me, I knew it. She was trying to be covert but, like Barbie, she was failing. Carla probably put her up to this; Perry can't be alone at a bar like everyone else after what just happened, he has to be babysat. _Dammit, Carla, you could have at least picked someone ugly._ I pretended to watch as the Penguins crushed my beloved RedWings and scoped out her legs, which she quickly crossed, uncrossed, and recrossed. I grinned. She was nervous; she'd caught my glance and she was actually nervous. _God, those are gorgeous…wonder how they'd feel wrapped around me?_ I smiled to myself, sipped my beer, and watched at the Penguins scored the final goal of the game. Anger suddenly ripped through me. _Really? Just ONE point? _I slammed my beer glass on the counter and stood to leave. I was done.

She followed me outside, quietly, and I hailed a cab. After the 7 beers I'd downed, even I was surprised I could still stand, let alone throw my arm in the air. I glanced at my beloved Porsche as I got into the cab and sighed.

"Hi, I'm Derek. I'll be your cabbie this evening." the driver said quickly. I nodded, putting on my seatbelt.

"Listen, Derek, great to meet ya. Follow that blue Honda to wherever it goes. I need to see who that is." The cabbie nodded and followed the brunette with the sexy legs down the street.

Our 'joy ride' lasted about 15 minutes and I felt the cabbie slow down as Sexy Legs put the Honda in park, climbing out legs first. I nearly bit through my lip when I saw how far up her thighs the skirt moved as she sashayed towards the apartment entrance. I threw a 20 at the cabbie, way too much for the short ride and pushed my way out of the cab. _I never chase women, what is this?_ I wondered as I followed her up to the door. As she buzzed herself in, I slammed a palm on the door to prevent her from going in.

"Hold on there, gorgeous." She turned to face me, shock lining her face. I stooped a bit to look her in the eyes. _Fuck, gorgeous eyes….No! Focus! Scare her!_ "Now listen here, Stalker Girl, I wanna know some things before you scamper upstairs. First, who are you?" She chewed on her lip, contemplating.

"I'm Lacey." she said, looking up at me defiantly.

"Okay, Lacey. Second, why are you following me?"

"For your own good." she fired back, no longer looking scared.

I scoffed. "What could you possibly know about my own good?" I glared her down, daring her to say anything. She had the grace to stare at the ground and mumble something about knowing more than I thought she knew. "What was that?" I snapped. She jerked her head up. _My God, she's hot even when she's pissed at me._

"I said, 'I know more about you than you think'. Jerk." she seethed, anger lining her voice. She shivered from standing in the cool air and I laughed harshly.

"Okay, sure you do. Third question; it's January, WHY the he-ee-ee-ee-ee-ll are you wearing that short of a skirt?" Lacey's eyes brightened a bit and she slid a smirk across her face before answering me.

"I wanted to have a little fun and a skirt was the way to go. Obviously from your reaction, my choice of clothing was well thought-out. Or maybe I shouldn't have worn anything at all." My mouth dropped. _Minx! _I laughed to cover my shock at her knowledge that she had affected my libido, or lack of one at the moment. An evil gleam lit up my eyes. _I'll show her. I'm going to make her so uncomfortable, she'll want out of that skirt…_

"All right. Last question…" I paused, watching her chew her lower lip, half-fear, half-desire in her eyes. _Do it…do it, Perry._ I leaned in towards her a bit more. "Do you taste as good as they look?" I breathed, capturing her mouth with mine, suddenly no longer caring that Jordan was gone. All I count think about was Lacey; right here, right now.

**LACEY:**

_Oh my God, he's kissing me. What do I do? JD never said anything about kissing! Do I run, do I hit him, Jesus he kisses well…NO! Stop! Focus! Break it off! Wait…JD DID say that I should distract him at all costs…couldn't hurt to act on this…Could it?_ My mind raced as Perry deepened the kiss. _No way, I didn't just call him Perry. Cox. Cox. COX. His name is COX. His name is…oh, my God, this is amazing!_ Perry's tongue traced my bottom lip and nipped at it, as if he were trying to taste it for real. My arms wound around his neck and my fingers itched to thrust themselves into those unruly curls, but I restrained myself. Instead, I teased the skin at the back of his neck, stroking it and teasing the nape of his neck with my fingers. He growled into my mouth, biting down harder on my bottom lip; a cue for me to behave. I ignored it and kept teasing him. I slipped my tongue into his mouth and mingled it with his. He suddenly pulled away from me, gasping for air.

"Do you have a roommate?" he asked breathlessly. I contemplated texting Elliot to go to JD's, but thought against it. I nodded.

"Yes. She's an early-riser, too." Perry cursed under his breath and threw a hair through his hair.

"My place then." he ground out, slipping my keys out of my hand and heading towards my Honda. I gaped at him.

"Excuse me? Do you think I'm just some random slut or something?" I called after him, shocked at his assumption. Perry turned to me.

"You spent all night eye-fucking me across a bar, followed me outside the bar, and just kissed me like you wanted something more than just a good-night thing. I'm just taking the hints, sweetheart. If you don't want to do this, I'll just go." He tossed the keys back at me and whistled for a cab at the curb. A cab skidded up to him, door half ajar, ready to steal him away. I gaped open-mouth at him. Perry eyed me critically. "Up to you." he said, sticking one foot into the car. I stared at him, my brain screaming at me to grab him, follow him, fuck him, but my body wouldn't register. Perry shrugged. "Your loss, princess." he said bitterly, sliding the rest of the way into the cab. I watched as the cab slid away, slush flying across the curb.

"What the hell just happened?" I heard from above me. My eyes flew to the 3rd story where Elliot and JD hung out her bedroom window. I shielded my eyes from the snow that was now heavily falling and called up,

"Dunno! He basically thought I was easy and I got pissed…I guess." _No, you got scared because he's powerful and cute and sexy. _JD glared at me.

"Way to go, Lace!" I shrugged.

"Oh, well. At least he's off tomorrow and you won't have to see him." Elliot left from the window and I heard a low buzzing at the door. I yanked the door open and strode into the warm air that flowed from the heater. JD met me at the door of the apartment, his face still grim, but he hugged me anyways.

"Good try, cous. Maybe he'll be in better spirits in a few days." I sighed into JD's shoulder and pushed past him into the apartment. I didn't believe him and neither did Elliot, but we would never have said that to JD. He worried about Cox too much already.

**PERRY:**

I was actually surprised when she didn't immediately follow me into the cab, but thought nothing of it…until she ignored my request altogether. Her face never changed from the shock I'd placed there and she looked so damn hot; confused and lusting for me. I almost wanted to beg her to come with me; I needed to bury myself in something, she'd do perfectly, but I didn't want to grovel to someone I'd known for years, let alone a girl I'd barely met.

The cab dropped me off at my apartment and, again, I paid him more than needed. I didn't care. I wished it was Lacey getting out of the cab with me, instead of just the empty lonliness that was beginning to annoy me. _That skirt will haunt me for a while. Short enough to glimpse that sweet ass, long enough to make me want to push it up and-_ I shook my head. _Per, come on, she was nothing, just a girl. Don't let her affect you like this. Remember what happened last time…_ I blearily put my key into my lock and let myself into my vacant apartment. I ripped a notice of eviction down as I slammed the door, a loud bang resonating around the living room. Jordan had taken everything; my furniture, my son, my libido, even my ability to con a woman into spending the night with me. I sat on my couch, one of the ten things Jordan didn't want in the divorce, and hung my head. _At least you'll never see her again, Per. Her or the girl with the sexy legs._


	2. The 6AM Shift

**Perry:**

The day started off awful.

I awake with my head throbbing and my mouth dry. I wake alone, memories of Lacey and her skirt immediately floating back. I groan as I remember her confused, yet lustful look as I sped away in a cab, then, with a grunt, I throw the silk sheets chaining me to my king-sized bed off my half-naked body. I stand woozily, allowing my head to adjust to the sudden change before stumbling into the bathroom for a quick shower.

I dunk my head beneath the powerful waterfall, trying to drown the thoughts of having Lacey in the shower with me. I soap up quickly; scrubbing myself of the mystery girl I couldn't stop obsessing over. Shutting off the shower, I run a towel through my hair and over my body, barely drying it. I shake out my wet curls as I stride naked towards my cell phone, punching in the familiar numbers of Sacred Heart's front desk.

"Gina, hi. It's Perry Cox. I'm supposed to be off today, but can you put me back on the schedule? I really can't afford a day off right now." Gina murmurs something demurely about putting me on the 12-hour shift starting at 6am and says she understands. "Yeah, yeah, thanks," I say, clicking the End button before I hear more fake sympathies from my co-worker.

Once you've heard one "Oh, no! I'm so sorry! If there's anything I can do for you…," you've heard them all.

Even Bob Kelso apologized. Bob was being nice, offering me vacation days and different ways to avoid Jordan.

No one knows that she was already off in Hawaii with her surgeon fuck-buddy.

No one but me.

I yank on my clothes quickly, scarfing half a Pop Tart while chugging my scalding black coffee. I know…I'm talented.

I smooth my half-dry hair down, trying one last time to tame the unruly curls before reaching for my keys.

Then I remember.

My car is at the bar.

"Fuck!" I yell to my empty apartment, throwing my keys. They hit my couch then fall to the floor. I sigh and take out my phone again, punching the numbers. "Newbie, I need you to pick me up. … Hell yes, I'm working today, now get your ass over here and give me a ride." I snap the phone shut and lean against my doorway.

What a total mess.

**Lacey:**

"I hate you," I say sleepily to Elliot as she pulls into the hospital parking lot. She turns and smiles at me.

"12-hour shifts suck no matter when you start them, but it's easier to start them at a time when you can go home at a decent hour. I like 6 in the morning." I groan.

"I still hate you," I say, throwing my arm over my face and leaning against the window. Elliot laughs.

"Come on, sleepy head. Let's get some coffee in you and then you'll be all perky again."

I moan and slide my way out of the car, dragging my bag and lab coat with me. Elliot strides ahead of me, greeting Gina, the front desk receptionist. I mutter a hello, pairing it with a half-assed wave. Gina smiles at me, nodding sympathetically.

_Oh, so you tried to seduce a man and chickened out last night too? Awesome. At least I'm not completely alone in my misery…again._

I follow Elliot up two flights of stairs, dragging my bag the whole way, grumbling about how early it is. Elliot smacks my butt as I walk through the second floor door she's holding, startling me.

"Wake up, dammit!" she says, giggling. I glare at her, rubbing my left cheek.

"Mind not turning your rings to the inside of your hand? It really fucking hurts." Elliot just laughs harder, winking at Carla before wishing her good morning. Carla smiles at Elliot and I.

"How are you, Lacey?" I grumble, laying my head on the Nurse's Station desk. "Ah ah ah!" Carla exclaims, rapping my head lightly with her clipboard. I yelp, rubbing my scalp. "No sleeping! Turk!" she shouts to her husband, "Get Lace some coffee?"

Turk turns back towards us and throws a thumbs-up before heading downstairs. Carla watches him go before turning back to us. "He's totally whipped," she giggles. Elliot laughs before saying "C'mon, time for our shift. We gotta get dressed."

Elliot pulls me towards the residents' locker room, pushing the door open with her butt. "Turk should have three coffees sitting on the Nurse's Station by the time we change." I moan at her, still angry about the butt slap and the concussion I'm bound to have from Carla's clipboard. I rub my head as I spin my combination lock.

"I hate you, did you know that?" Elliot sighs as she strips her coat off.

"Yep. You've told me at least three times this morning. Now get dressed." I glare at her as she slips her purple scrub top over her head, then look into my locker for clean scrubs.

None.

Fuck.

"Dammit…no scrubs." Elliot looks up from tying her shoes.

"Machine?" she suggests, shrugging her shoulders before going back to her shoelaces. I sigh.

"Dammit," I say, taking off my tee-shirt. "Is it just an item of clothing or does it have to be shirt and pants? I'm not really feeling the walk of shame today…"

"Just one item, no one will care if you are strutting in your bra." Elliot looks up at me. "And you even have a crappy tee to throw in. I had on that really nice black, slinky shirt when I came into work that one day after my one-night stand and everyone looked at me and it was really awful because I had to strip in front of Dr. Kelso…" Elliot's eye go a little misty and I know she's about to launch into a long-as-hell story, so I make for the door.

"Be back soon!" I say, shoving open the locker room door. I walk to the scrub machine quickly, holding out my old tee-shirt like an offering to the scrub gods. I shove the shirt in and hear the whoosh as a new pair of scrubs drops down the rungs towards my waiting hands. Out of nowhere, a hand snatches the scrubs out of my grasp. "Hey!" I squeal, turning on the kleptomaniac brave enough to take the scrubs right out of my hands.

Holy shit. Perry.

His eyes go wide.

"You!" he says, gripping the scrubs tighter.

My heart pounding, I feign control. "Me." I say, holding out my hand. "I need those, it's kind of cold in here." Perry looks up and down my body, taking in my bra and shorts combo then holds the scrubs a little further from me.

"I can see that," he says hoarsely, his eyes never leaving my chest. I put my hands on my hips and sigh, pretending that my pulse isn't going wild watching his eyes roam over my body.

"What are you doing here?" he questions softly. I'm taken aback; this isn't the mean Perry Cox I was expecting. I was counting on an eruption of epic proportions; yelling at me, JD, Elliot. I wanted to hear him call Elliot 'Barbie', hear him call JD a girl's name. I wanted the sexy wrath, where was the rage? Why was he just staring at my chest like a pre-pubescent teen?

"Yep, those are breasts and erect nipples. Seriously, I need those scrubs." I say, holding out my hand a little closer to him. I try not to notice that my hand is shaking and hope he doesn't either.

"What are you going to give me for them?" he asks, holding them a little higher, his eyes still on my breasts.

I roll my eyes. "Perry, we tried playing this game last night. Gimme my scrubs."

Cox smirks, realizing that control is his now that's I'm borderline begging him. "Give me a kiss and I'll give them to you." I narrow my eyes.

"Never." Cox smirks again.

"Oh, still sore about chickening out, I see?" I bite my lip to keep from saying something scathing about Jordan, partly because it's uncalled for and partly because it will really, really hurt him. I take a deep breath and smile.

"Perry. Last time. Please. Give. Me. The. Scrubs." I say through gritted teeth, glancing at the clock above his head. Three minutes until my shift starts. Perry continues to smirk.

"You denied me last night…just one kiss and I'll give them to you." I sigh again.

"Fine," I say,defeated. I lean in close to his mouth, playing chicken, calling him on his bluff. I close the gap between us quickly, coming within a few centimeters of his lips, feeling his breath become more ragged, slipping like satin over my lips. I exhale, enjoying the moment, before gently kissing his bottom lip. I suck a little, pulling his bottom lip into my mouth, teasing the sensitive inner part with the tip of my tongue. I pull back quickly, running the back of my hand over my mouth to show how grossed out I am, but Perry doesn't even notice. His eyes open slowly _When did he close them? Did I close mine?_ and he looks at me.

"Dr. Cox!" a voice shrieks from the hallway next to us. Cox jumps back, shaking his head, as if to clear it or remember who he is supposed to be, just as JD skids around the corner.

"Dr. Cox! You need scrubs?" He spies me, shirtless. "Oh, hey Lace," he says sheepishly. Cox turns on JD.

"You know her?" JD swallows visibly and I take the chance to disarm Cox. I yank the scrubs out of his grasp and force the blue top over my torso before he can turn back to me.

"Yeah, he does. Thanks." I say, gripping the pants and walking back towards the locker room. I scurry in, shutting the door just in time to hear Cox say "Martha, I swear…". Elliot looks up from her charts and smiles.

"Nice! Blue looks good on you. Ready for some coffee?" I nod and follow her out to the second floor waiting area.

What the hell did I just start?


	3. High Noon

**Lacey: **

I scarf my lunch, knowing that I only have a few moments to myself before Elliot and Carla accost my table and prod me for information about last night.

I've just gotten the last bit of the hot dog into my mouth when a tray drops beside me.

"Nice impression of Kobayashi you're doing there" a voice whispers in my left ear. I cringe. _Derek…joy._ I finish chewing, slowly, and pop a grim smile on my face.

"Derek." He smiles, all perfect white teeth, spotless green scrubs, every inch the heroic surgeon.

"Lacey." I tilt my head at him, staring, waiting. He clears his throat. "So, back in town? Visiting JD?" I swirl my spoon in my iced tea, trying to calm my heart.

"Visiting family…so yes, JD is included in that," I say, my eyes on the vortex I've made in my tea. I breathe in before venturing "…and you?"

I can feel Derek's smile growing as big as the Cheshire cat's before he answers. "Well, yes. I'm back here. Spent a few weeks in Hawaii," he says, gesturing to his tan, which has never wavered the entire time I've known him, "but I'm back now. Couldn't resist my patients." I rolled my eyes before taking a sip of my tea.

"Mmhmm…" I glanced around, noting a flash of pink scrubs at the front of the cafeteria line. I sigh. "Great…" Carla's ponytail bobs high on her head as she, followed closely by Elliot, make quick work of the space between the cashier and my table. Derek glances up as Carla and Elliot set down their trays.

"Hi, Lace! Good, we caught you before you could run!" Elliot babbles before stuffing a huge forkful of lettuce into her mouth. Carla pops a few French fries past her lips, staring pointedly at me. I stir my iced tea, ignoring them. "So…" Elliot begins. A tray slams down behind us, causing Elliot to jump and Derek is suddenly yanked from his chair by a pair of slightly hairy hands.

"What the FUCK are YOU doing here?" Perry – _Cox, Cox, COX, for the love of God, his name is COX, not fuckin' PERRY_ – yells, causing everyone in the cafeteria to turn in our direction. Derek puts his hands up, tossing a panicked look from Perry to me. Perry glared at Derek, shaking him a little. "What are you doing here?" Perry roars louder, if that's at all possible as Derek's face becomes a little paler. Elliot and Carla cut their glances between Perry, Derek, and me, finally focusing their gaping mouths on Perry. Perry shakes Derek a little harder.

"Perry…put him down," a voice says. Perry, practically growling at Derek, glances for the smallest second, before dropping both his jaw and Derek. Carla and Elliot turn as one and gasp. I tear my eyes from Perry – _LACEY, LAST TIME!_ – to lock them on the one person who could force Cox to let go of Derek.

In all her perfect coiffed, cheating glory…Jordan.


	4. 30 Minutes Into High Noon

**Perry:**

"Perry…put him down." Four words in and I'm already Jordan's bitch once again. I turn to look at her.

Jordan.

Not Lacey.

Not Lacey with her mouth open and her eyes on me and this deep, sudden embarrassment of losing my cool in front of her and – _PERRY. STOP. FOCUS. Temptation Skipper should be far away from your conscious, sub or not._

Jordan. Jordan with her perfectly buffed nails, her perfectly shaped hair, her perfectly vicious mouth… - _Stop imagining Jordan's mouth. Stop._

Jordan.

"Jordan," I breathe, slam Derek to the ground, and stare at her.

She's tan, most likely from her frolic in the Hawaiian sun. She's tan and gorgeous, if you don't look too closely at her Botoxed eyes and the circles under them, so expertly covered with foundation and powder. She's tan and gorgeous and sleep-deprived, and here.

Why is she here?

Jordan folds her arms across her chest, glaring at me. "Thank you" she says in a clipped tone, nodding to Derek, who upon being dropped, fell back into his chair and practically landed in Lacey's lap. My temper flares when his hand falls on her left thigh but I try to ignore it and focus on Jordan.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here." I grind out, transferring my question to Jordan. We are surrounded by people; doctors, nurses, family members in search of less-shitty coffee or something other than vending machine snacks, and yet all I can see is Jordan. There are tables, chairs, trays, food…and all I can see is Jordan.

A brief flicker of recognition crosses my mind as I wonder if Jack is near us, can hear us, or if Jack's even in the same building that we are, but it passes as anger at Jordan, more pointed now than ever before, starts to build quickly. "Jordan!" I bark, causing her and most everyone in the cafeteria to jump.

Good. I've scared her. But judging from my peripheral shot of Lacey, I've scared her as well.

Jordan rolls her eyes at me. "Come," she says, turning away from me, from Derek, from the gawking spectators. Her heels clack noisily away from me and I feel my feet move, slowly following her.

_What the hell am I doing? Where am I going? God, I wish Carla and Barbie wouldn't give me that stupid pitiful look and – oh for the love of God, now Newbie's in on it? _JD's eyes follow me out of the cafeteria.

I don't even look at Temptation Skipper.

I follow Jordan into the hallway, folding my arms across my chest and taking a wide stance.

I just have this feeling that things are going to get ugly.

Jordan turns, folding her arms across her chest and setting her mouth in a grim, firm line. I glare at her, waiting for her to speak. Jordan sighs.

"Perry, I…" she starts, faltering immediately.

I continue to glare.

"I…Fuck it. I'm sorry."

I continue to glare.

Jordan throws her arms down, letting them swing at her sides. "I don't know what you want me to say. I was unhappy, I was angry, and you…you…"

I continue to glare. Jordan's eyes narrow and her lips purse.

"Goddamit, Perry. Talk to me," she hisses.

I say nothing.

"This is ridiculous!"

"You took. My son," I grind out, never losing eye contact. Jordan keeps glaring at me.

"Yes," she answers, though I didn't give her a question.

"You took. My son." Jordan rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, this whole "High Noon at the O.K. Corral" thing we have going on here is great and all, but get to the point."

"The point is, you rabid bitch, that you took my son" I bite out harshly. Jordan doesn't even flinch.

"To Hawaii. Which is legally recognized as being a part of this country" she retorts, refolding her arms.

I am aware that a small gathering of imbeciles has gathered just outside of the cafeteria door to hear our conversation. I turn to them.

Newbie's interns.

"OUT. NOW." I bellow. They scatter, clearly not expecting to be caught. I note with regret that Lacey's ponytail is the last one bobbing away. I force my eyes to snap back to Jordan. She sighes, steps towards me.

"Perry, I - " I hold up a hand, one arm across my chest.

"Don't. For once _I_ get to walk away" I say before turning so sharply, the heel of my sneaker squeals in protest.

"Perry. Perry, wait. Perry, I'm talking to you!" Jordan yells, her voice fading then coming closer.

She's following me.

"Goddamnit, Perry. Stop. Listen to me!" I continue to ignore her, striding quickly for the main door of the hospital. I grasp at my pockets, looking for the emergency cigarette I keep there for the times when Jordan cheats, when Jordan leaves, when Jordan comes back, when Newbie gets on the last raw nerve I have left, when I desperately need some sanity in this circus of a medical building. I dig deep into my white coat, hoping, praying for one last cig and notice a small blur rushing towards me, just as I grasp the fat, crinkled nub.

"Daddy! Yay!"

Oh, sweet Jesus. She brought Jack.


	5. Picnic

**PERRY:**

Jack flies into my arms, or rather latches himself onto my legs and I scoop him up into a hug. I press a quick kiss to his temple before leaning to put him down, but he grips me tighter, fisting some of the wayward curls on the back of my neck on accident.

Yeouch. Guess I'm hanging on to the kid.

"Oof, you are getting big!" I say to him, squeezing him again. Jack squirms and grins at me.

"Not as big as you!" I run a hand through his mop of curls – so much like mine – and smile at him.

"Not yet, bud!" Jack cheeses at me and presses his face into my neck.

"I missed you, Daddy." My heart breaks a little to hear his little voice proclaim that and I tighten my arms around him.

"Missed you too, Jack." I look at Jordan, who stands with her hands on her hips, glaring at me. "Did you like going on vacation with Mommy?" Jack nods, his head never leaving my shoulder.

"We went to the beach and the pool and the mall and we saw a movie and Mommy and me had lots of fun." I look at Jordan, thankful she was good enough to remember him on her sex trip. "Derek didn't have fun with me." Jack continues, his voice dropping a bit, as if he's afraid to say that. I look at him.

"Oh? Why not?"

"He told Mommy that he doesn't –" Jordan claps her hands together, startling us both.

"Jack, are you hungry? Let's go get some food!" she says, far too cheerful. Jack looks at her, back to me, back to her.

"Can Daddy come?" Jordan nods.

"Of course he can, let's just go eat." She reaches her arms out to take him from me and Jack latches on, yanking a few of my hairs out in the process.

"Yeow, bud! Be careful, that hurts." Jack looks up at me, scared, and suddenly, I wonder what happened in Hawaii that Jordan is so eager to hide from me. I press my lips to his forehead. "I'm not mad, Jackie…that just hurts, okay?" Jack nods, his hand going up protectively, thumb already out.

He doesn't suck his thumb unless he's scared.

I glance at Jordan, who has a worried look on her face. "Hey, buddy, how about this? You and me go have lunch and Mommy can go have fun with her friends, okay?" Jack nods furiously, his hand falling back to his side.

"Mommy, can I?" His voice is excited and Jordan throws a murderous look at me. She knows I'm going to ask him about Hawaii and that he'll tell me.

"Honey, I'm not sure that's such a good…" I glare at her and push Jack's head to my shoulder, covering his right ear and press my hand over his left.

He doesn't need to hear this.

"Listen here, Jordan. You took him away from me to go fuck that asshole in Hawaii. I didn't know where you'd gone or if you'd come back. Now, I know that he saw or heard something about you and Derek or you and me or you and some bellhop, but get this straight. He is still my son. I am going to go out to eat with him." I level her with my patented Cox glare. "You owe me that much."

Jordan narrows her eyes at me, as much as her Botox will allow, and fights off her temper. I let go of Jack's ears and he pops off my shoulder.

"So, we'll see you after lunch," I say as I lower Jack to the ground and grab his hand. Jack waves at Jordan as we start to walk out of the hospital.

"Bye, Mommy!"

Freedom. Sun. Breeze. God, it feels so good to be outside after…

I stop next to the entrance, realizing once again that my beloved Porsche…is still at the frickin' bar. I mutter a curse and run my hand through my hair. I squat down to Jack's eye level, my knees cracking.

God, I'm old.

"Hey, Jack, whadya say you and me go grab something from Subway and have a picnic?" Jack breaks into a huge grin.

"Yay! Can I get a cookie?" I push myself up and reach for his hand, smiling down at my son.

"'Course you can, kid. Oatmeal raisin!" Jack blows a raspberry at me.

"Eww! Dad, gross!" I laugh and we walk off to the Subway just beyond the hospital.

…

"So, did you really like Hawaii, Jack?" I ask. No time like the present to open the wound.

Jack nods, his mouth full of turkey and cheese. He swallows the mammoth bite and cheeses. "Lotsa shells!"

He loves shells.

"Did you bring any home?" Jack, having taken another enormous bite, nods and lets out a muffled reply, spewing bits of bread and meat on the grass. (Well, actually on my lab coat, which makes a nice picnic blanket when needed). I laugh. "Try that again with less sandwich. And smaller bites, please." Jack struggles to swallow, forcing down his food in his eagerness to tell me about his shells, but he manages and starts going rapid-fire about the beach and the adventure for shells.

"Mommy wanted to go look at shells and so we went and we took one of the HUGE bags, Dad, like the bags we get at Meijer when we buy groceries and we got ALL KINDS of shells, big ones, small ones, curly ones, Dad, I have this one curly one, it's so curly! I told Mommy that it was your hair and she laughed because it's true, Dad, this shell looks like your hair! And Derek picked out a few of them, but I didn't like them so I threw them in the ocean when he and Mommy were kis-" Jack slaps a hand over his mouth and looks down, his shells forgotten. "I promised Mommy I wouldn't tell…" he says quietly, looking up at me with big eyes.

I ruffle his hair to show it's okay and say "Keep going, so there was a shell that looked like my hair…" Jack screws up his face and thinks hard before saying

"Oh yeah! Okay, so I didn't like Derek's shells, they were too pointy, but Mommy and I found the prettiest shells, they are white, but they're NOT white, Dad, they're SHINY, and Mom said they were mother of pearl, though I dunno why Pearl's mother got her own shell. Pearl's mom must be pretty special because that is a COOL shell, Dad."

I laugh and hug Jack. "It's a color, Jack. Mother of pearl is a color. It's not someone's mom." Jack looks sad for a second.

"But I wanted to meet Pearl's mother! I wanted to tell her I liked her shell!"

I settle back onto my lab coat, looking up at the tree above us and Jack follows suit, awkwardly fitting his arm under his head like I have done with mine. I cock my head at him and he looks up at me. "I missed you, Dad," he says softly. I look back up at the trees so he won't see me trying not to cry and sigh.

"Missed you too, bud. Missed you too."


	6. Midnight at Dan's

**LACEY:**

I slam a shot glass, rim down, on the bar and cough before sucking the last drop of juice from the lime wedge beside me. I pour more salt on my left hand drunkenly as I look towards Dan, the bartender.

"Another?" he asks, picking up the shriveled lime and used shot glass. I nod, hiccup, and giggle.

"Why the fuck not?" I can hear how slurred my words are becoming and feel how warm the tequila is in my stomach, but I don't care. Dan rolls a new lime on the counter, slices it into quarters, pours some Cuervo into a new glass and pushes the shot and the fresh wedge towards me. I lap up the salt, toss back the shot, and bite down hard on the lime. My stomach roils and I ignore it. I slam the glass down again, rim down, and Dan winces.

"Seriously, take it easily on the stemware. He's not worth my glasses getting shattered." I glare at him.

"First of all, it's not stemware; that's for wine. Second of all…" I trail off, distracted by the front door of the bar opening. I whirl, the barstool rotating a bit more than I intended.

Not Perry.

I take a deep breath, hiccup, and continue. "Second of all, no, he's not. But I'm paying, I don't live too far away, and I deserve to slip slowly into my own tequila-driven hell." I slap a $20 bill on the bar and shove it towards Dan. "Here's your tip for the night, in addition to my open tab. Keep them coming, cous." Dan scoops the slightly sodden money off the bar and adds it to his massive tip jar.

"As long as you keep paying…" he says, picking out a new shot glass. "Still tequila or are you switching?" I leer at him, fully feeling the effects of my six? Seven? Shots. I stay silent, feeling the bile build up in my throat. Dan looks at me and suddenly realizes what's about to happen. "Hey, hey, hey, keep it down!" He shoves some water towards me, which I gulp to fight back the feeling of vomiting. "Seriously, Lace, chill out. He's really, REALLY not worth you getting drunk and wasting my tequila in an upchuck fest that would rival the one in "Stand By Me"." I finish the glass of water, my stomach calmed, and let out a loud, un-ladylike belch. Dan laughs. "Atta, girl. Be right back." I watch, bleary-eyed, as Dan runs back into the kitchen and brings out a fresh burger and a pile of fries. He shoves it towards me. "Eat something," he says, pointing at the pile of grease.

I sneer at it. "Ew, carbs." Dan rolls his eyes.

"Fucking eat." I glare at him but pick up a long fry. I munch it quickly, swallowing, showing Dan my empty mouth.

"Happy?"

"More," he commands. I giggle, picking up a few more fries, munching them happily.

"Want me to show you an empty mouth each time like on Fear Factor?" I chomp some more fries but don't swallow and show Dan my half-chewed food. He grimaces.

"If the belch wasn't ladylike, that nasty mouthful of food CERTAINLY wasn't." I giggle, closing my mouth and chewing quietly. Dan wipes down the bar, glancing around at his other patrons before sliding his eyes back to me. "So…"

I continue to chew as I speak. "He's no one."

"You're certainly getting extremely drunk for 'no one.'" Dan remarks, giving me a critical eye.

"Quit pretending that you're my mom, okay? Just let me get drunk like a good family member." Dan shakes his head.

"I'm just – "

"Yeah, yeah, concerned…like everyone else." Dan continues to wipe down the bar.

"You're not exactly proving that we SHOULDN'T be concerned with you," he says, motioning to the seven – God, when did it hit seven! – glasses in front of me. I stare at him as I continue to eat. I open my mouth to retort something but the front door thuds again. I twist my stool again, hopefully, and my face falls.

Jordan. In all her perfect hair, perfect surgeon boyfriend, perfect child, perfect ex-husband glory. And…are you serious? There's enough AC running in here to blow her hair back like that? Fuck!

"Ah, shit…" Dan swears, looking at Jordan. "You're back?" Jordan sends him a brittle smile and sits three seats from me.

"Jack. Straight up." Dan places a highball glass on the counter, splashes some Jack Daniel's into it, and slides it towards Jordan. She picks it up gingerly, sips it as lady-like as she can, and glances around the bar.

I chew and pray she doesn't recognize me from the lunchroom –

"Ah, Bambi's famous med school cousin…Derek's ex," Jordan looks me up and down, taking in my outfit…my food choice…silently counting the shot glasses in front of me. She cocks an eyebrow and pats the seat next to her. "Join." I shake my head.

"Nope. I'm good." Jordan's eyes narrow.

"Wasn't a question, peach." I lean back against the back of my chair, projecting more bravado than I feel.

"My answer wasn't up for debate. I'm. Good." I say, emphasizing the last two words. Dan coughs and shoots me a worried look. Jordan glazes her eyes over him then locks them on me.

"Fine. We can talk from here." She twists her chair towards me and leans forward a bit, her highball glass trapped in her bony fingers. "You and Derek? Over. You got that?"

I stare at her. She's seriously talking about Derek to me?

Jordan snaps her fingers. "Yeah, this vapid act isn't gonna work on me, 'k, sweets?" She takes another sip of her drink. "Barbie might have made a career with her looks and lack of street smarts, but you're a smarter chick than that."

I continue to stare at her, mentally sizing her up, physically portraying disinterest. Dan stays behind the bar, closer to me than Jordan.

Good choice of sides.

Jordan finishes her Jack and motions for Dan to fill her glass again. "So, do we have an understanding?" she says to me as Dan pours more Jack into her cup, never taking his eyes off me.

Overprotective son of a bitch.

Jordan's question barely registers; I just scan her up and down with a pasted-on look of indifference, knowing it pisses her off.

I don't have to wait long for Jordan to lose her cool. She slams her hand on the bar and heaves herself off the barstool to stalk her way over to me. She bends down close, her hot whiskey-scented breath pervading my nostrils. "Okay, let me make this clear for you. I owe this place. No matter where I go, how long I'm gone, or who I'm with, this is my hospital. Mine. And no two-bit former Ohio trailer-trash slut is going to get in my way. Do I make myself clear?"

Trailer trash? Trailer trash? Oh, wrong day, bitch.

Jordan waits for an answer and I carefully give her one, cocking my head to the left.

"So, is that how this works? You threaten your competition for Perry? For Derek? Because you know Derek is cheating on you already, don't you? You know he's chasing the next skirt…he was doing that in Hawaii. You have no control over this situation so you come back to a place where you do have control – Sacred Heart, where Bambi and Barbie all step right in line when you say 'Heel,' is that right?" Jordan stares at me, her lips slowly forming a thin line. "Well, guess what, 'peach?' I'm not Barbie. I'm not Bambi." I cock an eyebrow at her and look her up and down critically. "I refuse to be threatened by a wannabe cougar who can't hold on to her younger man, ex-husband, or kid, so I'd think twice before you try scare tactics with me."

I take a breath, mentally proud of myself for not slurring my way through my speech, and sip the Diet Coke that Dan slid in front of me at some point during Jordan's entrance.

Jordan sits back a little, her over-Botoxed expression fighting to show how impressed she is with my bravado and her fury at being essentially outfoxed by a drunk woman.

"Stay away from Derek. Stay away from Perry."

I shake my head. "I'm not the one going out of my way to see them…" I say with a shrug. Raw anger burns in Jordan's eyes.

"You will be extremely sorry if you don't listen to me." I draw a long drag of my sweet no-calorie caffeine and nod.

"Yeah, got it. Stay away from doctors who have previously fucked or are currently fucking you. You mind bugging off? I have a feeling a tornado's gonna drop a house here soon and I happen to really like this bar, so…" I make a shooing motion with my hand and swivel my stool back to my half-eaten burger and fries, now cold.

Jordan stares at me a bit as I continue to chew before tossing back her remaining Jack, slamming the highball glass on the bar with a ten-dollar bill, and striding out the door.

Not bad for a two-bit former Ohio trailer-trash slut.

Dan lets out a whoosh of air and gives me a shocked look.

"Holy shit…that was intense." I chew some more fries.

"You want a cigarette or something? You look like you could use one…" Dan shakes his head at me, cracking a sweet smile.

"Jordan makes everyone nervous, me included. I thought she was gonna make you cry or blow up the bar or something." I take a huge bite of my burger and toss a judgmental look at him. Dan puts his hands up. "Dude, she's scary! Sue me!" I finish chewing and swallow (because I'm a slightly sober lady now, Goddammit) before speaking.

"Not me. Cunts don't scare me." Dan laughs and snags my glass to refill it.

"I have half a mind to forget about your tab since you chased her outta here." I grin, popping the last few fries into my mouth.

"You have half a mind to get me a glass of scotch, there, Dan-o?" a low voice says behind me. Dan coughs and busies himself as a large hand appears on the bar next to mine. "This seat taken?"

I swallow and turn around.

All the feelings of triumph I have from besting Jordan fade quickly as I look up to see blue eyes and curly hair.

Perry.


	7. How 'Bout No?

**LACEY**:

"That was extremely impressive there, Skipper. Not many people can run Jordan off," Perry sips the scotch that Dan sets in front of him, looking at me over the glass.

I chew some more fries, which does not settle my jumpy stomach, and glance at him. "It takes a lot to scare me."

Perry nods. "Clearly." He leans in. "Listen…" I hold up my hand.

"Yeah, this whole _Grey's Anatomy_, girl-from-the-bar thing you and I have going is a little too cliché, so if you don't mind…" I stand (Yeah! I stood! No wavering!) and take out my wallet. I plunk a $50 bill on the counter and hoist my purse up on my shoulder. "I'm gonna go catch a cab and head home, 'k? You want to talk to me, you come ask me out like a normal person. No Jordan. No Derek. No J.D. Just you…" I glide my eyes over Perry, "and me."

I stride more confidently than I actually feel towards the coat rack and grab mine, slipping my arms through it, and cinching the belt around my waist tightly.

"Your choice, Percival," I throw over my shoulder as I walk out into the cold January air.

The shocked look on his face (Oh yeah, darlin', I know your full name) is the last thing I see before the scuffed green door of Dan's closes.

I let out a deep breath which quickly clouds around me and hold my arm out for a taxi.

**PERRY:**

"Did…did I just get rejected?" I ask incredulously. Dan shrugs.

"Don't take it personal. Lace is like that. You want a beer to put those flames out though, Maverick?" I glare at Dan, whose rakish smile greets me.

"Yeah, don't quote Top Gun right now, okay?" I say quietly. Dan shrugs again.

"Just trying to lighten the mood…Percival," Dan sniggers. I glare at him.

"Shut up." Dan picks up the two pints in front of me and whisks them away, glass clinking lightly.

"Hey, Per, what else did you expect? You're not exactly pristine goods…and she just had to deal with Satan personified before you got here." I look up at Dan.

"She handled Jordan." Dan nods, filling two pint glasses with water, plunking one in front of me.

"Yeah, but we've all been on the receiving end of that schtick, dude. Jordan's…rough…especially on a newbie." I grimaced as I drug a hand through my hair.

"Shit…and Lacey's, what, one of those 'no drama' chicks?" Dan takes a sip from his water and shrugs.

"She's never been one to step up to the plate for anyone unless they were important. She takes care of herself, she always has." I sigh.

"So…she wants to be wooed?" I venture before taking a long gulp of water. Dan laughs.

"Doesn't every woman?" I snort.

"Look, Dan…you're being really cryptic right now…have I answered your questions three or am I really missing something?" Dan grabs the glass from my hand and sets it in the bar sink.

"Be patient. Make her come to you. She enjoys the chase, but she wants to work for it. Give her leash. She'll come back." I ponder this.

"Okay. Tomorrow – leash. No chasing. Let her come to me."

"Let her come to you." I stare at Dan.

"And if she doesn't?" Dan laughs.

"I've known Lacey since she was born, Per. She'll come around." I narrow my eyes at him.

"And if she doesn't?" Dan looks off to the right and bites his lip.

"Free scotch for a year." I grin and he mirrors it. I stick my hand out.

"Deal."


	8. Pairing Up

**LACEY**:

I fully expect to find flowers in my locker the next shift – daisies and roses, my favorite – but I open the small metal door (after struggling with it – I swear, interns get shit on enough here…at least give us working lockers…) to the smell of my unwashed scrubs and stale sweaty tennis shoes.

Yuck…

I sigh and yank out a pair of clean scrubs from my top shelf, tugging off my t-shirt and jean shorts. I slick my hair in a ponytail and listen as my fellow interns stumble in, lining up for rounds.

"So, what's got Cox all jumbled?" Carson, one of the dumber grunts I work with, ventures to our colleagues. I ignore him, concentrating on making my ponytail higher and tighter, still listening for the gossip.

"Who fuckin' knows? He's probably pissed that his hottie ex is here…and with that uber cute Dr. …oh damn, what's his name again?" Kristen squeaks out.

Ignore them. Don't answer.

"Derek something…Who cares? He's mega sexy," Alexis says loudly, her voice carrying, and I know she's staring at me.

Fuck, they know. Better face this now.

I take a deep breath and turn to see three eager faces waiting for me.

"His name is Derek McGinnis. He's a surgeon, cardiothoracic, and yes, like every other surgeon, he has a god complex. We dated when I was in med school. He's a total hot shot and he's with Jordan now. Can we please stop pretending that this hospital is so much like ER and Grey's and just go on rounds?"

"I can't help but agree," a voice sounds behind me. I whirl to see Derek in the doorway. "Today, you interns are learning about surgery, so follow me and we'll get you paired accordingly." Derek looks me up and down as he says "paired" and I roll my eyes.

Joy. Pretty sure I know who I'm with…

Carson, Kristen, Alexis, and I wander after Derek, baby ducks and their wayward momma, down several hallways to the operating rooms, stopping just outside the red line. Derek turns.

"Carson, you're with Dr. Quinlan." Carson whoops and (of course) high fives The Todd.

"Newbie surgeon five!" shouts Todd.

Does he rip the sleeves of EVERY pair of scrubs he owns? I mean…those arms are impressive but…? Also…Quinlan? The Todd has a last name?

The Todd and Carson disappear into OR 1.

"Alexis," Derek continues, his clear green eyes glancing at her. Alexis straightens, slowly forcing her chest out.

I roll my eyes again. Seriously?

"You're with Dr. Beardface."

"It's BEARD-FUH-SAY!" shouts Dr. Beardface. Derek glares at him.

"Seriously, dude…no one actually cares unless you kill someone."

Alexis pouts a little as she walks over to Dr. B and they stride into OR 2.

Derek turns back to Kristen and I.

"Kristen, you're with Dr. Miller," Derek gestures to the always gorgeous Grace Miller, who walks right up to Kris and gets in her face.

"You a fuck-up?" she questions. Kris lets out a squeak and shakes her head vigorously. Dr. M sighs and gives an exasperated look to Derek. "I swear, if she kills someone…"

Miller and Kris go into OR 3, Kris' loud hyperventilating following until the door slams shut.

Derek smirks at me.

"Which just leaves Lacey with –"

"Hey, hey, Dr. McGinnis! Sorry I'm late, Carla had to get Izzy to the babysitter's and that's a chore and then J.D. had this thing with Kim and…anyways, I'm here, where's my intern?"

Oh, Turk! Thank GOD.

"Me!" I all but shout. I clear my throat as Turk turns to me, a big smile on his face. "I'm your intern today, Dr. Turk." Turk posts up for a high five.

"Hell yeah, Lacey! Let's go! We got a killer kidney operation today – all blood and guts. You ready?"

I mirror his grin.

"Hell yeah."

"Hold up! Lacey supposed to be with me!" Derek calls as Turk and I make for OR 4. We turn, eyes on each other.

"Yeah, no, she's not," a loud voice booms behind Derek. I look past Turk and Derek to see Perry – _DR. COX. LACEY. COME ON_. – and Dr. Kelso. "Dr. Martin will be shadowing Dr. Turk today and Dr. McGinnis, I need to see you in my office," Kelso's eyes narrow at Derek, "now."

"Ooh, someone's in trouble," I whisper as I pass Derek. I feel a pinch on my hip and I let out a little yelp. "Ass," I hiss at him, rubbing my side.

"Next time, maybe," he hisses back.

Turk pulls me into OR 4 and shuts the door quickly.

"Whoo, glad I made it. He's had you pegged for his partner since he got here. I thought you two were over…" I bite my lip.

"Apparently, I'm the next conquest…Jordan threatened me last night, too." Turk's eyes go wide.

"Oh…and how did that go?"

"She called me 'two-bit Ohio trailer trash' and I read her the riot act." Turk grinned.

"Aww hell yeah, Lace! Don't take shit!" I smile at Turk and rub my hands together.

"So, who are we cutting up today?"

**PERRY:**

I feel a deep surge of jealousy slice through me as Derek pinches Lacey's hip and strides towards Kelso with the confidence and ease of someone who wasn't about to get his ass handed to him.

"Bob, how are you?" Derek held out his hand and kept his eyes on mine.

"Son," Bob says quietly, not taking Derek's offered palm, "I wouldn't if I were you. My office. Now." Kelso turns and leaves Derek and I glaring at each other.

"Perry."

"Denise."

"Girl names? Still? Wow, you must be real hard up for some good pussy around here if you're still resorting to girl names…" Derek places a hand on my arm. "I have some recommendations for you if you need someone to shake the rust off."

It's all I can do not to choke him right there, but I control my temper, flex my fingers, and walk away.

"Wow. Bravo, Per. Walking away like a man…who knew you had it in you?" Derek adds a little clap to his jab.

I clench my jaw and keep walking towards Kelso's office, yanking open the door.

"In." Derek's eyebrows and palms go up.

"Not the principal's office! Don't tell my mommy!"

"Son, get. in. here." Kelso commands. He's seated behind his enormous cherry oak desk. Derek strides in. Kelso points to two swivel chairs. "Sit. We're going to discuss some things."

I turn to shut the door only to hear "You too, Perry."

Fuck.


	9. Two Warning Signs

**PERRY:**

I lean forward, resting my forearms on my thighs easily, setting myself up defensively for Kelso's rant.

"This irresponsible skirt-chasing will stop immediately," Kelso commands, looking from Derek to me. Derek rolls his eyes. Kelso narrows his. "Son, this is not a joke. Lives are at stake here."

Derek cracks his knuckles and yawns. Kelso slams his hand on his desk and opens his mouth to yell.

"Bob, you're wasting your breath," I murmur softly. Bob turns his eyes to me.

"You haven't exactly been on your best behavior this whole time either, Perry." I shrug at him and turn up my mouth a little to signify that, yeah, I knew that too.

…what? Don't give me that look. I'm not all innocent in this!

I cross my arms and sit back in Bob's cushy office chairs. "Thanks for the reminder, Bob-oh, but can we focus on the anarchy at hand?" I turn my eyes to Derek, who is now drumming his fingers on his chair's edges, eyes everywhere but on Kelso. He claps his hands together.

"All right, so you've told us to cut it out and in about thirteen hours," Derek looks at his empty wrist, "I'll have Lacey all to myself, so yeah, it'll stop."

I snort. "You really think that Lacey would be with you?"

Derek looks at me. "Why not? Jordan was."

I can feel my eyes narrow involuntarily and I lean forward towards Derek.

Bob sighs. "Shake them off, gentlemen. No one actually cares." Bob runs a hand over his face and then sets his hands on his desk. "Okay – this is what we're going to do." Bob turns to Derek. "You. Stay in surgery. Once the interns are done with their surgical rounds this week, you will leave Dr. Martin alone. This is not Grey's Anatomy, Dr. McGinnis, and you will not treat Sacred Heart like your personal cesspool of willing harlots, is that clear?" Kelso glares at Derek, who nods and shrugs.

"Whatever floats your boat, Bob-oh."

Hey…that's my line.

Kelso turns to me. "That goes for you too, Perry. No flirting with interns, no going after interns, and you will also leave Dr. Martin alone." I open my mouth to protest; Bob holds up a hand. "I will pair her with Dr. Dorian or Dr. Reid for rounds. You will check in twice a week with them." I clamp my mouth shut, my teeth letting out a snap as I bring my jaw up.

Bob then looks each of us over and says "I want you two on separate floors at all times. No fraternizing. At all. Ever." Bob grimaces, portraying what I'm sure he thinks is a smile. "Now this shouldn't be too hard, right?"

I glance at Derek, who slides his eyes over me, and nod. "Shouldn't be too hard." Bob claps.

"Good, glad to hear it." He glares at us. "Now, get the hell out of my office."

Derek is out of his chair like it suddenly burnt him and is out the door just as fast. I stand, stretch, and salute Bob.

"A pleasure as always, Bob."

I wander out of his office and down the hall, stopping by the nurse's station to grab a few patient's charts. Carla sidles over.

"How bad was the slap on the wrist?" I turn away from her.

"Neither of us are supposed to see Lacey…and he made the third Grey's reference that I've heard in the past 24 hours." Carla laughs.

"Well, you have been acting kind of like McDreamy when he saw McSteamy flirting with Meredith –" I whip around and she shuts her mouth.

"Not you, too!" I wail. Carla shrugs and mimes locking her mouth. "Is there anyone in this hospital not interested in my frickin' drama?!" I yell.

"I don't really care," says the janitor, shrugging at me. I roll my eyes.

"Like you matter, Lurch."

"Oop," Carla squeaks behind me and I sigh.

"Jordan, Lacey, Derek, Barbie, or Janel?"

"Uhm…all of the above."

"Shit. See ya." I twist away from the counter and hightail it into my first patient's room. "Mr. Bartlett, I see we're back in Sacred Heart for the," I pause to look at the chart, "fifth time this month," I cross my arms. "Now, are you going to lay off the red meat or am I going to have to keep you here for more than a few hours this time?"

Bartlett shrugs at me. "If I can have my steak here, I'll stay."

"Veggies, chicken, turkey, pork. Or else." I stride out the door and into the next room.

"Mrs. Applebaum, you just get prettier each day!"

**LACEY:**

I tie off the remaining stitches that Turk is letting me sew and breathe a sigh of relief.

Neat. Tight. Not one popp-

Dark purple blood shoots up.

Damn. Almost had it.

"Ah, don't sweat it, Lace. This dude always pops stitches. Just redo." Turk's voice is calm and encouraging, the monitors are still softly beeping, and the obscenely overweight man on the table is still breathing gently.

I wipe my sleeve along my brow and reposition myself to redo my sutures.

Neat. Tight. Not one popping.

"Good job. Go grab some water, I'll close." I nod once and slip away from the operating table. I yank off my gloves and shake the caked powder from my damp hands as I glance at the clock.

Damn. We've been in here for two hours? That's amazing.

As if on cue, my stomach rumbles loudly. I put my hand on it and make a shushing sound. I place a surgical mask over my face and duck back into the OR.

"Hey, Turk?" Turk keeps working.

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna get some lunch. Want me to wait for you?" Turk sighs and rubs an arm over his face.

"Yeah. Five minutes, tops." I step out into the hallway and stretch – my arms first reaching towards the sky, then the ground, my back popping when I twist left to right.

I hear clacking heels and chattering voices coming towards me, one more shrill than the others.

Fuck.

"Ohio trailer trash," Jordan hisses at me as she leads other board members past the ORs.

"Unwanted cougar," I hiss back, still stretching. Jordan glares at me before turning a sunny smile to her colleagues.

A smile that looks more than a little strained.

"Now we'll head to the nurses' station and meet a few of the young men and women who keep our hospital running smoothly." I watch the group wander down the hallway and notice that Don Barnes, one of the COOs, is trailing in the back, jotting notes on an iPad mini, his eyes glazing over the hospital.

Barnes is here? That ain't good.

The door behind me opens and Turk busts out, a smile on his face.

"Now THAT'S how you do an appy! Hell yeah, Lacey! Side bump!" I giggle and bump hips with Turk, first the left then the right. "Uh uh, yeah yeah yeah, that's right, that's Dr. Martin. Who's the doc?"

"I'm the doc!"

"Who's the doc?"

I laugh loudly. "I'm the doc!" Turk grins again.

"Hell yeah, now let's go eat." We make for the nurses' station, staying less than 50 feet from Jordan's tour group. Jordan's voice carries in the hall and her disposition seems more than a little forced.

"What do you think that's about?" I whisper to Turk as we round the corner and see Carla.

And Perry.

Turk shrugs. "Dunno, but Barnes is here…that can't be good." Turk waves at Carla right as I hear an "Eeeeeeeeeeagle!" from behind me.

I duck just in time.

Carla grimaces at Turk and J.D. and nods to Cox, who visbly stiffens and woodenly disappears into a patient's room.

I'll ignore that…

I lean my hands on the counter, pretending like J.D. isn't riding Turk behind me, and smile at Carla.

"Wanna get lunch?"


End file.
